MK Decision, Operators Don't Burden the People Anymore

Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the Golkar Party Faction, Nurul Arifin, fully supports the Constitutional Court (MK) ruling that states that the remaining internet quota is the property of consumers and should not be unilaterally destroyed by telecommunications operators. According to him, the ruling is an important milestone in strengthening the protection of consumer rights in the digital era.

Nurul assessed that the internet has now become a basic need of the community, not only for communication, but also for education, employment, health services, and digital economic activities. Therefore, policies that provide legal certainty for consumer rights are the right step.

"The Constitutional Court's decision should be respected and supported together. This is a form of state protection of consumer rights. The internet quota that the public has paid is their right, so it should not be lost just like that without being able to be used," Nurul Arifin told reporters, Friday, July 24.

However, Nurul reminded that the implementation of the ruling did not create new problems in the form of an increase in internet service rates or a reduction in the benefits of data packages that ultimately burdened the community.

"Don't let the public get the right to save the remaining quota, but have to pay more expensive. That is certainly contrary to the spirit of the Constitutional Court's decision which wants to provide justice for consumers," said the Head of the Media and Public Opinion Gathering (MPO) of the Golkar Party.

According to Nurul, telecommunications operators have many business strategy options other than imposing additional costs on customers. He assessed that companies need to make the decision a momentum to increase efficiency and innovation.

"Operators can strengthen network efficiency through technology optimization, including the use of artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence) in traffic management. With an increasingly efficient network, operating costs can also be suppressed without sacrificing customers," he said.

In addition, Nurul encouraged operators to expand revenue sources from value-added digital services, such as cloud services, cyber security, internet of things (IoT), digital business solutions, digital entertainment, and services for the education sector and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

"The business model of operators must evolve. Don't just rely on internet quota sales. There are many digital business opportunities that can be developed without having to burden the public with more expensive tariffs," said this member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from West Java District 1.

Nurul also asked operators not to practice practices that substantially harm consumers even though they comply with the Constitutional Court's decision administratively. He gave an example of reducing the number of quotas in packages at the same price, too strict rollover restrictions, or adding certain conditions that make it difficult for consumers to use their rights.

"There should be no new tricks. For example, the price remains the same but the quota is reduced, or the rollover only applies to certain packages with complicated conditions. The spirit of the MK's decision is to provide protection to consumers, so that its implementation must also reflect this spirit," he said.

He also asked the government to immediately draft derivative rules that provide certainty for all parties, both operators and the public. According to him, the regulation needs to clearly regulate the rollover mechanism, transparency of data package information, to protection of consumers in the event of an unnatural tariff change.

"The government must ensure that the implementation of the Constitutional Court's decision runs well through clear, transparent regulations, and provides legal certainty. On the other hand, the Competition Oversight Commission (KPPU) also needs to supervise that there is no price agreement between operators that can harm the community," he said.

Nurul added that the telecommunications industry is one of the backbones of Indonesia's digital transformation. Therefore, the balance between the sustainability of operator business and consumer protection must be maintained.

"We want the telecommunications industry to remain healthy, able to invest in building networks to the corners of the country, but at the same time the public also receives quality services at affordable prices. These two interests must go hand in hand," said Nurul.

He hopes that the Constitutional Court's decision will be a momentum to build a more fair, transparent, and pro-people telecommunications ecosystem as users of services.

"In the end, digital transformation must bring the greatest benefits to the people. Do not let technological advances be followed by business practices that reduce consumer rights. I am optimistic that the government, regulators, operators, and the DPR can work together to find the best solution so that public rights are protected while the telecommunications industry continues to grow healthily," he concluded.